In todays world of dwindling and unsteady petroleum supplies, many human resources are devoted to the selection and refinement of alternate fuels. Furthermore, many "third world" countries that cannot afford high priced foreign petroleum are forced to use various types of domestic fuel. However, the use of most alternate fuels causes the malfunction of traditional engines and the deterioration of their components.
Recently, new polymers have substantially cured the latter problem, leaving the functional problem as the greatest challenge to overcome. This problem manifests itself in inefficient combustion. Ignition of some of these fuels requires a catalyst. Diesel engines, for instance, must provide heat, in addition to compression, to ignite the alternate fuel.
Glow plugs assist combustion in alcohol fueled engines. Unfortunately, energizing a glow plug in the continuously changing temperature of an operating engine poses additional problems. Glow plugs are utilized primarily for starting engines and can be damaged quite easily if used over longer periods of time.
Precision voltage controls attempt to prolong glow plug life. These controls maintain a constant glow plug voltage. As the engine heats, the glow plug remains driven by the constant voltage. Soon cylinder temperature exceeds the temperature required for combustion. Therefore, the glow plugs waste energy and glow plug life shortens.
Additionally, in many systems, each glow plug requires a seperate control to step down the vehicle electrical system voltage to levels which provide satisfactory fuel combustion and adequate glow plug life. A control scheme of this type wastes money and is unnecessarily complex. For example, a six cylinder engine requires six controls.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.